Elias Alarcon went four for four and Northeast overcame a rocky start against Rock Port, taking control with a nine run third and then putting it away in the sixth for a 17-7 win.
Previously, Northeast had a critical conference matchup with East Atchison last Thursday. Normally, these games are a dogfight between the two teams, but the Bluejays came out on top 11-1 behind Dylan McIntyre. Then, against Albany, there was a good pitching duel between Kemper Cline and Drew Dack. But Northeast could not get the big hit with runners on base and Albany pushed across a run in the sixth for a 1-0 win.
Last year, Rock Port came into their game with Platte Valley winless while Platte Valley was undefeated at the time. But Rock Port hung on for a 6-5 win, which meant that Northeast Nodaway was able to split the Highway 275 conference title with Platte Valley when they fell to them in Guilford. The game was the first ever win for the Rock Port franchise, and they were looking to replicate that against Northeast Nodaway.
Frequently, a team plays the way they warm up in practice, and what NEN Coach Vance Proffitt saw was not to his liking, and he sent them away into their pregame huddle a second time to get it figured out. The team was shorthanded, as they had three players gone to band camp, which frequently changes the chemistry of the team. Sure enough, despite having Dylan McIntyre on the mound, Rock Port jumped out in front; walks lead to runs, and Dylan walked two batters in the top of the first. #10 singled them home for a 1-0 lead.
Northeast was not much better at the plate. #00 walked the first two Bluejay batters, but then the next two batters took called third strikes. The Bluejays took seven called third strikes for the game, something that will have to improve against the likes of Platte Valley and their Class 2 foes come district time. Northeast tried to make something happen, sending Dylan McIntyre to steal third, but he was thrown out stealing to end the inning.
Rock Port kept right on coming as #6 beat out an infield hit and #4, the number eight hitter for Rock Port, crushed a double to left field to score. He took third on a wild pitch and #00 grounded out to score him to make it 3-0.
Once again, the woes of the Albany game continued, with Northeast getting runners on but were unable to cash in. Elias hit a Texas Leaguer for a base hit and Landon Wilmes hit a double that sliced away from the right fielder to put runners on second and third with nobody out. Boston Adwell struck out, but Jace Cameron walked to load the bases. But Camdain Frisch and Dylan McIntyre struck out to end the inning.
But after Dylan McIntyre picked a runner off first to start the third inning, Northeast started looking like a completely different team. In the Bluejay third, a pair of errors and a walk set up the big inning to load the bases. Elias Alarcon came through, singling to right center to cut it to 3-2 and put Tyler New on third. Elias stole second and the next four batters walked, forcing in three more Bluejay runs, putting them up 5-3, and finishing #00.
Dylan McIntyre greeted #30 for a triple to the right center field wall to clear the bases, and he later scored on an error to make it 9-3.
But after Northeast couldn’t score in the fourth, Rock Port took advantage of a pair of Bluejay errors to get two runs back in the fifth to cut it to 9-5. It would have been worse, but Dylan McIntyre picked off a runner to get out of the inning.
Dylan McIntyre got his second triple in a row to start the Bluejay fifth and Grant McIntyre singled down the left field line to get him home. He took second and third on wild pitches and Tyler New grounded out to get him home. Elias Alarcon kept the Bluejays going with a double to the wall in right center, and took third on a wild pitch. He then showed some speed as he scored on a wild pitch despite the ball hitting the wooden bar and bouncing right back to the Rock Port catcher. That made it 12-5.
Dylan McIntyre got the first out of the sixth, but then ran out of pitches after #4 got his third hit of the day. With Drew Dack not available due to having pitched Friday against Albany, Grant McIntyre took the mound and Drew Dack went behind the plate as Dylan took shortstop. #34 walked; he was the number nine hitter, which meant potential trouble. They took second and third on a wild pitch. #00 struck out for the second out.
Rock Port got one run as #4 scored on a wild pitch and another when #17 doubled home #34. #18 (running for #17) took third on a wild pitch, but was out on a bang bang play as Drew Dack threw to Grant McIntyre covering the plate for the third out.
Northeast had their eighth and ninth hitters coming to the plate, which meant that if Rock Port could hold and then get the game to #4, who already had three hits for the day, things would get pretty interesting given that both Drew Dack and Dylan McIntyre were out of pitches. But after Jace Cameron was called out on strikes, Camdain Frisch took a 2-2 pitch the other way for a single to open the floodgates. Dylan had a hard out to left field for the second out, but then Drew Dack took one for the team and Grant McIntyre walked to load the bases. Walks lead to runs, and sure enough, Tyler New crushed one off the left fielder’s glove for a three run double that emptied the bases to make it 15-7. Elias Alarcon doubled to left center to score Tyler New, took third on a wild pitch, and scored on another to end the game by the ten run rule.
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